Did
you know that the very first item on the McDonald's menu in 1967 was a
hamburger? Since then, McDonald's has added several burgers that have
become permanent fixtures on
their menu. Back in August, I was invited to attend their Mighty Angus
Open Kitchen Flavour Session, where guests (bloggers and media) were
introduced to the all-new Mighty Angus burger.
This was the first new premium burger that McDonald's has added to
their permanent menu since 2012. The launch event was held at McDonald's
Canada's corporate head office, and guests were given the opportunity
to tour the kitchen, and watch the process behind making the new premium burger. I
thought that the overall kitchen tour was both interactive, and
informative.

The Mighty Angus burger
is made with juicy, tender cuts of 100% Angus beef that are locally
sourced from Canadian farms. It's served on a sesame and poppy seed bun,
and topped with a smoky Angus sauce, hickory smoked bacon pieces, crisp
leaf lettuce, tomato, processed cheddar cheese, and grilled onions.
The Mighty Angus is
now available in stores, and costs $6.40 for the premium sandwich, and
is also available as a part of an Extra Value Meal. Based on its good
size and quality, I'd say that this was appropriately priced for a
premium sandwich.

In regards to the 100% Angus beef, I think it's great that McDonald's
uses beef that are locally sourced from Canadian farms. By doing so,
they have shown that they are placing a priority on buying Canadian 100%
Angus beef, and not outsourcing outside of Canada. This way, they are
supporting the Canadian economies and taking great pride in working with
local farmers to ensure quality products. McDonald's have also taken an
extra step in ensuring that the beef is always up to standard, as there
would always be a representative
from the Canadian Beef Grading Agency present every time McDonald's
make Angus patties to verify that they're 100% Angus beef.

After completing the kitchen tours, we were treated to the new Mighty Angus, which I quite enjoyed. Three things
stood out to me; the sesame and poppy seed
bun, smokey flavor of the chopped bacon bits, and lastly, the smoky
angus aioli. Visually, the combination of the sesame and poppy seed added
to the overall pleasant aesthetic. Additionally, instead of bacon strips, McDonald's has opted to use Hickory smoked bacon pieces. This allows the natural smoky
flavor of the bacon to seep through, and just complement the overall
burger. Lastly, the smoky angus aioli stood out to me, as it had a nice
sweet yet light smoky flavor to it, which I don't find on a lot of
burgers in Canada. Overall, this was a welcome addition to the McDonald's permanent menu line, and I will return for one.

McDonald's Mighty Angus is now available at participating McDonald's locations in Canada, so drop by soon to try one.

Basil Box is the newest addition to the food court at Square One Mall in Mississauga. They are an Asian fast-casual restaurant serving the exotic flavors of Thailand and Vietnam with a build-a-box concept. What I liked most about Basil Box was that they offer a healthier alternative to the array of fast-food options in the food court. Customers are able to customize their meal to their liking, and they also offer vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free options. I was invited to drop by Basil Box on their opening day to try their food for lunch, and I happily obliged as I was in the area for a meeting.

I met Peter Chiu, the owner of Basil Box, that day as he was on hand getting consumer feedback. I also learned that Basil Box will be expanding, as they will be opening up a flagship full-service restaurant sometime by the end of the year. The upcoming flagship will be located in the Ryerson Learning Centre, which I am excited about as it's centrally located downtown.

Now onto Basil Box's build-a-box concept, which gives customers the ability to customize their box to their liking. They are able to choose their main base, 2 veggies,
a protein (which determines the price), a sauce, and then topped it off with a topping. The
instructions and available options are clearly displayed on the wall, so
it was quite a helpful guide.

For my box, I chose short grain brown rice, lemongrass
corn, roasted green beans, chili lime shrimp, sweet chili lime, and
crushed peanuts. The portion that we got on opening day was comparably less than what people are getting today when they order from Basil Box. The reason for the change now was because Peter took the constructive criticisms from bloggers, and other customers on opening week into consideration, and increased the portion. I think it's great that he's dedicated to the product, and open to suggestions from customers.

I was pleasantly pleased that the food was really good, especially compared to the standards of what one would expect from a food court. The shrimp was nicely marinated, and I liked the slight kick from the sweet chili lime sauce. The mango ginger ale soda - our ultra-refreshing Mango Ginger Ale Soda is carefully crafted with pure cane sugar. It’s GMO free, and best of all, it’s delicious, was a very refreshing sweet drink. Unfortunately, I am rarely up in Square One, so I can't really eat this again anytime soon. However, I am excited for their downtown launch sometime this winter, as I will definitely be a regular. Basil Box is definitely one of the more healthier options available in the food court, and is tasty too.

Burrito Boyz is an establishment offering burritos and quesadillas at very reasonable prices. As of 2014, Burrito Boyz has 17 locations all throughout Southern Ontario. I often frequent the location on College Street, and this location has been consistent for the past 2 years since I have been eating there - both the food and service.

Burrito Boyz offers no frills, as their decor is minimal, and there are only a handful of seats. However, a majority of their customers usually come in for a quick bite or simply take-out. If you don't like waiting; they do take phone orders so you can call in your order(s) in advanced for pick-up.

Like I mentioned earlier, the burritos here are consistent. My favorite item is their steak burrito which comes in two sizes; small ($5.97) and large ($7.08). Customers can customize their burrito to your liking from choosing the type of tortilla to the amount of fresh toppings that they want. Some of the toppings that they are offer are refined pinto beans, Tex Mex cheese (triple blended), lettuce, tomatoes, green onions, black beans, jalapenos, corn, guacamole, sour screma, hot sauce, and a few more.The toppings listed above comes at no additional cost, except if you want more cheese.

I ordered their large steak burrito and it came with a generous helping of steak, and toppings (that I selected). The steak was delicious and I liked the seasoning that was used. All of the burritos are grilled to order so it comes out hot, and fresh.

Even though I'm a huge fast-food junkie; I rarely review the items from those places. However, a couple of my friends have been asking me about my take on the McLobster hence this brief review =)

The McLobster is McDonald's take on the traditional lobster roll. It has been on the menu in Atlantic Canada for several years now, and is now available in the GTA but only for a limited time (until Monday, August 26, 2013).

Earlier this week, I headed to my closest McDonald's, and ordered myself a McLobster. The sandwich alone was $6.79 (plus tax), so it's slightly pricier than other sandwiches on the menu. McDonald's McLobster is touted as containing 100% Atlantic lobster meat and mixed with celery, green onions, lettuce and sauce.

I have seen a few pictures posted online of friends' McLobster, and
there doesn't seem to be a consistency in the presentation of the rolls. I didn't enjoy the bun as it was really cold but I was glad that my
McLobster wasn't completely drenched in mayonnaise. Additionally, the claw tasted a
little rubbery but the small pieces of lobster was pretty decent and edible.

ond
problem is the cost. In order to make a profit, McDonald's has to
charge more for the McLobster than they would for a cheeseburger,
because lobster meat costs more than beef. But in order to keep the
costs reasonable for consumers, they have to put a minimum amount of
meat in the roll. Thus, y - See more at:
http://www.klat.com/blogs/practical-cooking/have-you-tried-mclobster#sthash.FsCzMiRX.dpuf

McLobster
is wads of dry lobster meat mixed with tons of lettuce and "McLobster
sauce" stuffed into a hot dog roll. It bears only a passing resemblance
to the New England traditional lobster roll, which is filled with
lobster meat that has only the slightest touch of ma - See more at:
http://www.klat.com/blogs/practical-cooking/have-you-tried-mclobster#sthash.FsCzMiRX.dpuf

McLobster
is wads of dry lobster meat mixed with tons of lettuce and "McLobster
sauce" stuffed into a hot dog roll. It bears only a passing resemblance
to the New England traditional lobster roll, which is filled with
lobster meat that has only the slightest touch of ma - See more at:
http://www.klat.com/blogs/practical-cooking/have-you-tried-mclobster#sthash.FsCzMiRX.dpuf

Overall, there
wasn't a good bun to lobster meat ratio, but that's pretty much a given
considering you get what you pay for. Traditional
lobster rolls (at seafood restaurants) are usually double the price of the
McLobster, and therefore you'd get more lobster meat there, so you
can't really complain in that department.

The McLobster is not something that I'd return to McDonald's for, but it's something that I am glad to have at least tried once.

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Welcome to Foodaholic! A Toronto-based food reviews, travel and lifestyle blog. My name is Sandi, and I am a female living in the city of Toronto (Canada). I am also an entrepreneur working in the field of logistics and e-commerce. When I am not working, I enjoy blogging, traveling, reading, taking photos, and of course eating. I started this blog as I am an avid foodie who also loves to travel, and I wanted an outlet to share my personal experiences.

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If you have any questions, suggestions, media inquires, feedback, etc ... please email me at foodaholic12@gmail.com.

Food Rating System

The rating list is based on the estimated price of a meal for one person (including taxes).

$ = Inexpensive, under $15$$ = Moderately affordable, between $15-$25$$$ = Expensive, between $25-$50$$$$ = Very expensive or fine dining, $50 and up

Disclaimer (Reviews)

This was blog was started for the purpose of sharing my opinions of restaurants that I have dined at (or took out delivery). Some of you may have different taste buds or a completely different dining experience than what I've had, and may disagree with my reviews, which is fine. However, please note that all of the reviews featured on this blog are solely based on my dining experience. Thanks :)